Paris
by Shipperwolf
Summary: Loki, on a whim, takes Jane to visit Paris. Unspoken questions are answered, and new ones arise in the night. Tie-In to "Guardian", oneshot.


**Hey Friends!**

It appears Loki And Jane simply _will not_ stay out of my head. I had to write this. It commanded me to write it.

This is a oneshot, and a tie-in to my L/J fic "Guardian". It more or less takes place shortly after the final chapter.

I may write one or two more of these little add-ons to Guardian, if for no other reason but to attempt to _silence_ the obsession I seem to have developed for this pairing...

It probably won't work. And I probably won't care. ^.^

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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><p>Even in the low season, he could hear them crawl across the ground like a swarm of insects.<p>

His perch atop the tower high above Paris gave him a spectacular view of the city, and although the biting cold of December whipped through with the wind, it did not deter most of the year-round tourists from scurrying around in awe, spellbound by the season known as "Christmastime".

He reached out and pressed a hand against one the satellite antennae standing tall at the tip of the Eiffel Tower, leaning against it casually. He glanced upward, and felt his eyes narrow. Again he had to remind himself that the excessive bright lights of the vast city blasted against the night sky above, obscuring a decent view of the stars.

It did not matter much, besides-clouds were beginning to roll across Paris, and he could feel his skin tingle with the coming snow…..

Cheers and laughter sounded below. He glanced down and watched the tiny figures stroll along the walkways, pointing at the tower, posing in ridiculous fashions and snapping photographs every other second.

A scowl threatened his face.

He had visited many places during his time on Earth, all of which seemed to ignite more annoyance and disgust than any actual pleasure.

There seemed to be no place in all of Midgaard that brought him any sense of peace….

Aside from a certain quiet, familiar, warm house situated on an old farm in Maine.

A gust of wind sent drafts of slightly warmer air to cut into the cold. The scents of the city filled his nostrils. Amidst the sweet and savory smells of bakeries and restaurants, he picked up on the overwhelming odor of the creatures below him; a collective torrent of sweat and flesh and cheap perfume, wafting into his senses from the dozens of humans that walked about at the foot of the tower with not a care in the world.

His eyes narrowed further, and he felt his nose wrinkle up against the scents that assaulted it. His mouth drew a thin line and his teeth elongated slightly as he fought back the urge to summon the Casket and reduce the core of the city to a clean, pristine, frozen…..

"I have to admit….this is pretty amazing."

A soft voice, a small movement against him, and Loki blinked back into reality.

His arm stiffened around the waist of the woman at his side. He glanced at her, and suddenly, all thoughts of revulsion and violence toward humankind seemed to die altogether, fading from his consciousness in an instant.

Jane braced herself against another antenna, looking out across the city's horizon. Her eyes seemed to shine with the hundreds of lights that sparkled in front of them.

Loki released a breath, and watched it puff white into the air. He wondered-as he often had in the past eleven years-when Jane Foster had captivated him into a submissive, gentle being with no desire to pursue the wrath-filled vengeance he had once felt so entitled to him.

And yet again, he could find no answer.

He did not know why he found her presence so curious.

He did not know why he found himself grinning, smiling, and _laughing_ the more he was around her.

He did not know why had taken to leaning into the cushion of her recliner, watching television and trying with desperate difficulty not to glance at her form sitting curled up on the sofa.

He did not know why he had asked to bring her to Paris.

But here they were.

Jane flashed her teeth at him in an excited smile.

Loki felt his Jotun fangs shorten and dull as he grinned back at her.

"I suppose it is….to those who have never seen it before. The first time I was here, however, I did not find it quite as 'amazing' as you do now."

Jane shifted against him. He watched her release the metal of the antenna in her grasp and settle closer beside him. His arm drew tighter around her and he felt the muscles of her stomach jump suddenly.

He realized with a start that his fingertips had snaked under the edge of her sweater and were brushing against the warm skin of her midsection.

Loki pulled his arm back slightly, still keeping a strong hold of the mortal that remained unwavering beside him despite the awesome height at which they stood.

Jane relaxed and chuckled lightly. He suspected she was mocking his unease.

She looked at him and gestured to the city.

"What? How could you not? Look at this!"

Loki followed her fingers with his eyes, and instead of settling his sights on the white, red, and green lights that dotted Paris in celebration of the holiday, he focused on the light, metallic green polish on her nails.

He tore his eyes away and brought them up to meet her own with a solemn and honest stare.

"The first time I came here, I was impressed by the architecture, but also disgusted by the impossible number of mortals that flocked to see it. I greatly considered turning this place into an icy wasteland. The only reason I did not was the fact that SHIELD was still following my every move." White escaped into the air between them and his voice was low as he spoke.

Jane turned slightly toward him. The wind whipped through her hair and he watched as her eyes searched his face.

Loki held her gaze when her brown eyes locked onto his.

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't. I think Nick Fury would've yelled himself into a coma!"

She was laughing.

He blinked at her in silence.

He had just voiced to her the truth of his darkness; she had heard him speak the violence of his past intentions and she was laughing it off as if he was simply _jesting_.

And strangely, Loki could bring himself to do nothing more in response aside from smile at her.

His muscles rippled suddenly when he felt the palm of her hand settle between his shoulder blades as she brought her own arm around him. Loki noted that she still held his gaze in her own.

He felt his head tilt and his body move—uncontrolled-toward her. Her breath hit his face, hot and smelling of caramel and coffee. A cloud passed overhead, darkening her features and likewise highlighting the whites of her wide, questioning eyes….

Loki suddenly felt as if he had been struck in the gut.

His vision grew hazy and his jaw clenched tight. A feeling—dark and heavy and smothering-crawled its way from his stomach upward into his chest. It gripped at his heart.

He recognized it as dread.

He felt it overwhelming him, weakening both his consciousness and his knees.

A leg threatened to fail him.

He did not notice it until he was sinking toward the metal beneath his feet.

Loki's eyes lifted to the sky instinctively. He could see the dark blanket of clouds blot out the moon. He could smell the ice in the air and feel the snowflakes threaten to fall.

He searched the stars that fought through the cracks in the cloud-cover.

He did not know how, he did not know why, but he felt certain that it was the stars that were the source of the dismay that had suddenly hit him. He watched as the last one was blackened out of his field of view.

For the first time since he could remember, he felt genuinely ill.

Cold whipped around the tower and snow began to fall. The hairs on his arms stood on end and he did not consider the fact that his body was actually reacting to the chill of the air.

And suddenly, warmth enveloped him.

Caramel and coffee and bright brown concerned eyes.

Jane Foster.

Loki blinked the blur out of his vision, focused it on the woman kneeling in front of him. Her warm hands were on his face, and he could hear her voice calling his name. It grew louder and he realized she was trying hard not to panic.

"Loki? Are you alright? Hey, can you hear me?"

He reached out, grasped at the metal behind him. Jane's hands flew underneath his arms and she attempted to provide support as he lifted himself to his feet. He felt the warmth land on his cheek again when she turned his face to look at her. She did not speak, but her eyes remained worrisome.

Loki felt the strange, phantom feeling of dread fade away from his consciousness.

He attempted an assuring grin.

"I am fine. I think perhaps I have gone too long without eating, is all."

He heard the crack in his own voice and could already tell that the mortal woman, despite lacking any considerable knowledge of Asgaardian (or in his case, Jotun) anatomy, did not believe a word he had just said.

He sighed when Jane narrowed her eyes at him.

"You ate breakfast with me this morning. And then lunch. I've actually seen you eat more today than you normally do. Seriously, Loki….what just happened?"

Loki brought his hands to rest against Jane's sides. He watched her eyes flicker down to look at them, but she did not pull away.

He took a breath, deep, and tried again.

"I…do not know what just occurred. But I assure you, I feel fine now. There is no reason for you to worry."

His fingers flexed against her sweater and he recognized the instinctive itch in them to once again feel the skin underneath it….

Loki fought the swirling, confusing emotions in his mind and mustered a determined, reassuring look that he hoped would put an end to Jane's almost mother-like fretting.

She breathed heavily, obviously giving in. Her breath was visible and matched the color of the snow now landing in her hair. He watched her shiver and look out at the city briefly before raising her eyes to the blackness above them.

He pulled her closer to him, sliding one of his hands to her back and conjuring soothing warmth into his fingertips to end her cold shaking.

Jane ducked her head and he saw her smile behind the hair that fell into her face.

"It's getting pretty cold, Loki. Wind is picking up, too…."

He tightened the grip he had on her body, looked up into the sky.

"Shall I take you home, then?"

He did not have to look at her to know she had nodded quietly.

Her arms snaked around his neck when he lifted her from the floor of the tower. They hovered in the air for a moment, and Loki looked down at her face.

She was smiling at him, soft and trusting.

He found, in that moment, that it was very possibly her _smile_ that had reduced him to such a passive and halfway domesticated creature.

He also found that he did not mind that fact.

Not the least bit.

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><p><strong>I'm sure you all have questions, now.<strong> And I'm also sure you're all thinking, why don't I just _continue_ this as a multi-chap like a **normal** person? Well, I won't. Cuz I'm wierd like that. But I should be posting another oneshot to help smooth this out...or make things worse. You know, whichever. )

Tis all in fun, anway, yes? ^.^


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